The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes |  | Author: Bryan Burrough
Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The
List Price: $29.95
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Seller: Jettaben Books
Rating:  40 reviews
Sales Rank: 2588
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 480
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.7 x 1.5
ISBN: 1594201994
Dewey Decimal Number: 338.27280922764
EAN: 9781594201998
ASIN: 1594201994
Publication Date: January 27, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In The Big Rich, bestselling author and Vanity Fair special correspondent Bryan Burrough chronicles the rise and fall of one of the great economic and political powerhouses of the twentieth centuryTexas oil. By weaving together the epic sagas of the industrys four greatest fortunes, Burrough has produced an enthralling tale of money, family, and power in the American century.
Known in their day as the Big Four, Roy Cullen, H. L. Hunt, Clint Murchison, and Sid Richardson were all from modest backgrounds, and all became patriarchs of the wealthiest oil families in Texas. As a class they came to be known as the Big Rich, and together they created a new legend in Americathe swaggering Texas oilman who owns private islands, sprawling ranches and perhaps a football team or two, and mingles with presidents and Hollywood stars.
The truth more than lives up to the myth. Along with their peers, the Big Four shifted wealth and power in America away from the East Coast, sending three of their states native sons to the White House and largely bankrolling the rise of modern conservatism in America. H. L. Hunt became Americas richest man by grabbing Texass largest oilfield out from under the nose of the man who found it; he was also a lifelong bigamist. Clint Murchison entertained British royalty on his Mexican hacienda and bet on racehorsesand conducted dirty dealswith J. Edgar Hoover. Roy Cullen, an elementary school dropout, used his millions to revive the hapless Texas GOP. And Sid Richardson, the Big Fours fun-loving bachelor, was a friend of several presidents, including, most fatefully, Lyndon Johnson.
The Big Four produced offspring who frequently made more headlines, and in some cases more millions, than they did. With few exceptions, however, their fortunes came to an end in a swirl of bitter family feuds, scandals, and bankruptcies, and by the late 1980s, the era of the Big Rich was over. But as Texas native Bryan Burrough reveals in this hugely entertaining account, the profound economic, political, and cultural influence of Texas oil is still keenly felt today.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 40
 Loveable Rogues November 21, 2009
M. Harvey (Aspen, Colorado USA)
Hard to put down. Adventurous wildcatters, rogues, hard luck, gushers, dry holes, boom and bust. Burrough captures the spirit
of the time and an essential part of American history. If you're interested in energy, oil, texas, entrepreneurs, or just a good read, this book is for you. Highly recommended.
 Great subject poorly served November 16, 2009
E. Keenan
The Texas oilmen were certainly a fascinating bunch, but in chronicling their ups and downs Bryan Burrough seems to have been sleep-writing half the time, and his editors sleep-working. The standard of editing and proofreading in this book is scandalously low... page after page contains bad grammar and typographical errors. The tale starts well, and Burroughs shows that he can do pacing, when he's awake. But it drifts into a weird morass of anti-Republican waffle that attempts to cast all the Texans as right-wing nut jobs even when they supported the Democratic party--LBJ, for example, is right-wing whenever Burrough wants him to be--or when the only nut job available was the best friend of the nephew of an oilman. Disappointing and, for the hardcover edition, a waste of money.
Incredible characters, great story October 2, 2009
Memoir Guy (California)
I loved Burrough's previous book, "Public Enemies", and this one, while not filled with lurid crimes and shootouts, was just as enthralling. Burrough distills a century of Texas history into a very readable tale that never lets up. My favorite was the story of Glenn McCarthy -- the real life inspiration for James Dean's character in "Giant". They say truth is stranger than fiction, well that's true here -- if this were written as a novel, nobody would believe it. A very fun book.
texas oil September 19, 2009
dottie miller (lake cypress springs)
I loved reading about the Texas oil story, esp. since living in Texas for 30 years, and learning about this fascinating part of Texas history. "A billion dollars just isn't what it used to be"
A 'must read' for Houstonians August 30, 2009
M. Malik (TX)
Really well written book about fortunes made and lost in the oil patch. Highly recommended.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 40
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